Auto battery theft preventing device

ABSTRACT

The lower ends of hold-down bolts at opposite sides of a storage battery are separably secured to anchoring structure in the engine compartment and their upper ends have elongated nuts screw-threaded thereon and tightly against the respective ends of a clamp bar that spans the top of the battery. A locking element has its ends respectively permanently secured to one nut and locked to the other nut by a key or permutation operated lock and a guard tube is associated with each hold-down bolt, said clamp bar and said anchoring structure prevents unauthorized separation of the hold-down bolts from the anchoring structure, thereby to thwart attempted theft of the battery.

United States Patent [191 Carley et al.

[ AUTO BATTERY THEFT PREVENTING DEVICE [76] Inventors: Joseph E. Carley,51 Carmon Rd.,

Harrington Park; Emil A. Steup, 27 Ardsleigh Dr., Madison, both of NJ.

[22] Filed: Oct. 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 191,509

[ Aug. 14, 1973 Primary Examiner-Benjamin Hersh AssistantExaminer-Milton L. Smith Attorneyl-larry B. Rook [57] ABSTRACT The lowerends of hold-down bolts at opposite sides of a storage battery areseparably secured to anchoring structure in the engine compartment andtheir upper ends have elongated nuts screw-threaded thereon and tightlyagainst the respective ends of a clamp bar that spans the top of thebattery. A locking element has its ends respectively permanently securedto one nut and locked to the other nut by a key or permutation operatedlock and a guard tube is associated with each holddown bolt, said clampbar and said anchoring structure prevents unauthorized separation of thehold-down bolts from the anchoring structure, thereby to thwartattempted theft of the battery.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 14, 1973 TORNEY BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION 1. The Field of the Invention This invention relates tomeans for securing a storage battery in place in an automobile in such amanner as to prevent or at least to reduce the possibility of theft ofthe battery.

2. The Prior Art The prior art proposes battery locking means whichincludes a pair of hold-down bolts flanking the battery and separablysecured at their lower ends to anchoring structure in the enginecompartment of the automobile with a locking bar or strap having itsends connected and locked by key-operated lock to fittings or posts atthe upper ends of the hold-down bolts and spanning the battery. Examplesare shown by US. Pat. Nos. 3,498,400 and 2,791,898.

However, the prior art locking means leave much to be desired in thatthey do not prevent unauthorized disconnection of the hold-down boltsfrom the anchoring structure, or they are cumbersome and difficult toapply to known batteries and battery mountings, or the padlocks hangloosely and vibrate against adjacent parts with consequent rattle andpossible damage to the parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the present invention isto provide means for locking a storage battery in place in an enginecompartment, which will overcome the objections to or disadvantages ofthe prior locking means, which is'easy to apply to various known typesof batteries and battery mountings, and which protects the connectionsof the hold-down bolts with the anchoring structure against suchmanipulation or breaking as would release the battery.

Another object is to provide in such a locking means a novel combinationof a battery support and enclosing means therefor, a clamp for abuttingthe top of the battery hold-down bolts flanking the battery having theirlower ends connected to said anchoring means and having fittings, forexample nuts, secured on their upper ends holding down said clamp bar, alocking element permanently secured to one fitting and separably lockedto the other fitting by a key-or permutationoperated lock having ashackle connected to the fitting and holding said locking elementagainst separation from the fitting.

The invention also contemplates a guard associated with each hold-downbolt and said clamp bar with its lower end covering the connection ofthe hold-down bolt to the anchoring means to prevent access to saidconnection and thereby prevent separation of the bolt from the anchoringmeans.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a complete understanding of theinvention, reference should be had to the following description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of a storage battery locking meansembodying the invention applied to a known type of storage battery whichis set in a tray that comprises a part of the battery anchoring ormounting structure.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the battery and locking means shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the battery and locking means shown inFIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectionalview approximately on the plane of the line 4-4 of FIG. 3,

and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the nuts to be screwed on ahold-down bolt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As is well known in theart, automobile storage battery supports or mountings vary inconstruction and in location, and therefore, in the above-mentioneddrawing only a schematic or representative illustration is made andparts not essential to an understanding of the invention have beenomitted.

Specifically describing the preferred embodiment of the invention, theanchoring or mounting structure A for the battery B is shown asincluding a tray C secured in the engine compartment of the automobileby known means which are not shown.

Hold-down bolts 1 of generally known construction are disposed atopposite sides of the battery and have their lower ends separablyconnected to the anchoring structure. As here shown, the bolts havehooks la which pass through slots 2 in anchoring plates 3 which arerigidly and permanently secured to upstanding flange of the tray C.

The upper end of each bolt is screw-threaded and is inserted looselythrough a hole 4 extending transversely through and beyond one endportion of a clamp bar D which spans or extends across the top of thebattery and has shouldered seats 5 to abut the top of the battery; and anut 6 is threaded on each bolt and abuttingly underlies thecorresponding end portion of the clamp bar.

Fittings 7 and 8 in the form elongated nuts have central threaded boreseach of which mates with the threaded end of one bolt to abut the topside of said clamp bar. A locking element E has one end permanentlysecured to one nut, here the nut 8, and its other end separablyconnected and locked to the other nut after they have been tightenedagainst the clamp bar so as to prevent rotation of the nuts in such away as to loosen them.

The nut 8 has a transverse hole 9 and the nut 7 has a transverse slot 10preferably disposed in an axial plane of the bore and extending throughthe outer end of the nut. The locking element has its end portionsextending through said hole 9 and removably insertable into the saidslot 10, respectively. The locking element has heads 12 and 12a fixed onits extremities, the spacing of the heads from each other being suchthat each head abuts the side of its corresponding nut to preventlongitudinal movement of the locking element relatively to the nuts whenthe nuts are applied to their respective bolts.

To prevent the locking element from being moved laterally outwardlythrough the end of the slot in the nut 7, said nut has a hole 13extending therethrough transversely of the slot to removably receive thebolt or shackle of a key-operated or permutation lock F in overlyingrelation to the locking element E when the nuts are in normalbattery-clamping relation to the clamp D and the locking element is inthe slot, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawing. Preferably apadlock is utilized, having the usual body 14 and a U- shaped shackleone arm of which is removably insertable through the hole 13 above thelocking element while the other arm 16 is removably insertable betweenthe locking element and the battery clamp D.

Associated with each hold-down bolt, the clamp D and the anchoringstructure is a guard 17 to protect the connection of the hold-down boltto the anchoring structure against such manipulation or breaking aswould release the battery. The guard is shown as comprising a metal tubeof a diameter to loosely slide upon the bolt with a telescoping actionwith its upper end to abut the underside of the clamp D and with itslower end engaging the anchoring structure. With the particularconnection shown, the wall of the tube has diametrically opposite slotsopening through the end of the tube and of a width to slidably slip overthe anchoring plate 3 the tube being of a diameter to slip over the hookla and of a length such that the end of the tube abuts the edge of thetray when the parts are assembled in battery-locking condition as shownin the drawings and most clearly appearing in H6. 4, and the hook andits connection with the anchoring plate are covered and renderedinaccessible by the guard tube.

The form and dimensions of the locking element and guards may varydepending upon the battery, the anchoring or mounting structure, theclamp and the manner of associating the hold-down bolts with the clampand anchoring structure, and while the locking element could be a rigidheaded bar, preferably as shown, the locking element comprises a lengthof heavy flexible wire cable having perforated metal beads fixedlysecured thereon as by welding or compression thereby providing theheads, and the guards are tubes interposed endwise between the clamp andthe'anchoring structure. Instead of a single clamp bar D, there could bea clamp associated with each hold-down bolt.

in assembling the several parts here shown, the battery is set on itstray, the guard tubes are slipped on the hold-down bolts, the hooks areconnected to the anchoring plates, the threaded ends of the bolts areslipped through the holes in the clamp bar and after adjustment of thenuts on the bolts to provide proper bearing of the clamp bar on the topof the battery, and with the locking element connected to the nut 8, thelocking nuts 7 and 8 are screwed onto the bolts and tightened to firmlyclamp the battery between the clamp bar and the tray and toapproximately align the slot in the nut 7 with the hole in nut 8. Thenthe free end of the locking element is set into the groove in the nut 7and the shackle arms are inserted through the hole 13 in the nut 7 andbetween the clamp and the locking element, respectively, and locked inthe lock body 14, as best shown in FIG. 4.

After completion of the assembly the battery is firmly locked againstremoval from its mounting structure, except by unlocking the lock orwillful destruction of the parts which are of such nature and so strong'as to dissuade or thwart any attempts to steal the battery.

We claim:

1. In battery theft-preventing means, the combination with batteryanchoring structure, hold-down bolts to receive a battery betweenthem'and each having a connection at its lower end with said anchoringstructure and its upper end screw-threaded, and battery clamp means toengage the top of a battery in said anchoring means slidably associatedwith the threaded ends of the bolts, of a nut on the screw-threaded endof each bolt to exert pressure on said clamp means to hold said batteryin said anchoring structure, and a locking element having one endpermanently secured to one nut, the other nut having a slot openingthrough one end to separably receive said locking element and having ahole transverse of said slot and above said locking element when thelatter is in the slot and a lock having a shackle to pass through saidhole in overlying relation to said locking element, the end portions ofsaid locking element being coactive with said nuts to preventlongitudinal movement of said locking element relatively to said nuts.

2. In battery theft-preventing means as defined in claim 1, said endportions of the locking element having heads to abut the sides of therespective nuts.

3. In battery theft-preventing means as defined in claim 1, said lockingelement being a length of flexible heavy wire cable the end portions ofwhich have heads rigidly secured thereon to abut the sides of therespective nuts.

4. ln battery theft-preventing means as defined in claim 1 with theaddition of a guard to be interposed on each hold-down bolt between saidclamp means and said anchoring means and covering said connectionbetween said hold-down bolt and said anchoring means, thereby to preventaccess to or tampering with said connection,

5. in battery theft-preventing means as defined in claim 4, saidconnection between the hold-down bolt and the anchoring means comprisinga hook on the end of the bolt passing through a slot in an anchoringplate, and said guard being a metal tube telescoped on said bolt withthe upper end of the tube abutting said clamp means and its lower endprovided with diametrically opposite slots in its wall to receiveedgewise said anchoring plateand with the lower end of the tube coveringsaid connection and abutting the anchoring means.

6. In battery theft-preventing means, the combination with batteryanchoring structure, hold-down bolts to receive a battery between themand each having a connection at its lower end with said anchoringstructure and its upper end screw-threaded, and battery clamp means toengage the top of a battery in said anchoring means slidably associatedwith the threaded ends of the bolts, of a nut on the screw threaded endof each bolt to exert pressure on said clamp means to hold said batteryin said anchoring structure, and a locking element having one endpermanently secured to one nut, and a lock having a shackle, saidlocking element and said shackle being coactive with the other nut toreleasably lock together said locking element, said shackle and saidnut, and a guard to be interposed on each hold-down bolt between saidclamp means and said anchoring means and covering said connectionbetween said hold-down bolt and said anchoring means, thereby to preventaccess to or tampering with said connection.

k I. t

1. In battery theft-preventing means, the combination with batteryanchoring structure, hold-down bolts to receive a battery between themand each having a connection at its lower end with said anchoringstructure and its upper end screw-threaded, and battery clamp means toengage the top of a battery in said anchoring means slidably associatedwith the threaded ends of the bolts, of a nut on the screw-threaded endof each bolt to exert pressure on said clamp means to hold said batteryin said anchoring structure, and a locking element having one endpermanently secured to one nut, the other nut having a slot openingthrough one end to separably receive said locking element and having ahole transverse of said slot and above said locking element when thelatter is in the slot and a lock having a shackle to pass through saidhole in overlying relation to said locking element, the end portions ofsaid locking element being coactive with said nuts to preventlongitudinal movement of said locking element relatively to said nuts.2. In battery theft-preventing means as defined in claim 1, said endportions of the locking element having heads to abut the sides of therespective nuts.
 3. In battery theft-preventing means as defined inclaim 1, said locking element being a length of flexible heavy wirecable the end portions of which have heads rigidly secured thereon toabut the sides of the respective nuts.
 4. In battery theft-preventingmeans as defined in claim 1 with the addition of a guard to beinterposed on each hold-down bolt between said clamp means and saidanchoring means and covering said connection between said hold-down boltand said anchoring means, thereby to prevent access to or tampering withsaid connection.
 5. In battery theft-preventing means as defined inclaim 4, said connection between the hold-down bolt and the anchoringmeans comprising a hook on the end of the bolt passing through a slot inan anchoring plate, and said guard being a metal tube telescoped on saidbolt with the upper end of the tube abutting said clamp means and itslower end provided with diametrically opposite slots in its wall toreceive edgewise said anchoring plate and with the lower end of the tubecovering said connection and abutting the anchoring means.
 6. In batterytheft-preventing means, the combination with battery anchoringstructure, hold-down bolts to receive a battery between them and eachhaving a connection at its lower end with said anchoring structure andits upper end screw-threaded, and battery clamp means to engage the topof a battery in said anchoring means slidably associated with thethreaded ends of the bolts, of a nut on the screw threaded end of eachbolt to exert pressure on said clamp means to hold said battery in saidanchoring structure, and a locking element having one end permanentlysecured to one nut, and a lock having a shackle, said locking elementand said shackle being coactive with the other nut to releasably locktogether said locking element, said shackle and said nut, and a guard tobe interposed on each hold-down bolt between said clamp means and saidanchoring means and covering said connection between said hold-down boltand said anchoring means, thereby to prevent access to or tampering withsaid connection.